Destiny in Cinders

No, that's not right. A gleam flickered in An Jing's eyes. He realized the old woman had completely seen through his facade and noticed how she hesitated for a moment before changing her tune. The old lady was intriguing, but that was irrelevant. Great talents often hid in plain sight. Perhaps certain individuals simply possessed the ability to see a person's true origins.

An Jing had just purchased a bowl of savory milk tea and was about to toss in some roasted rice when he suddenly felt that same malicious gaze fix onto him once more.

"It's not bad, but it doesn't compare to what we have back home." An Jing downed his savory milk tea with roasted rice, then stood up and walked away without changing his expression. He started down the street at a steady pace, which gradually slowed the further he went.

"That old lady is anything but ordinary. She probably possesses a lifearc and a powerful backing," said Yvelbane in his sea of consciousness. "That teahouse of hers sits atop one of Keensight's geomantic intersections. It is a spirit-vein node and a yin sanctuary that nurtures and strengthens yin-aspect and soul-aspect lifearcs. But she's no martialist; more likely, she's kin to a powerful martialist."

"So she's got sharp eyes too?" An Jing said. But he soon pushed these trivial thoughts aside when he sensed several hostile forces closing in. "It really is baffling. Has Keensight devolved into such chaos without its adept? They aren't even hiding anymore and abducting people in broad daylight."

"You've exposed too much wealth. Large establishments care nothing for it and will gladly trade with you for even greater profits, but these petty crooks with zero foresight are the ones who cause the most trouble." Yvelbane didn't dwell on the matter, nor did it worry about An Jing's safety. An Jing, on the other hand, had already pinpointed the source of the malice.

The first was, of course, the familiar narrow-eyed man, who trailed loosely behind him. Ahead of An Jing was a woman who occasionally glanced back, while another young man kept pace beside the middle-aged man. While their movements remained cautious, their decision was incredibly bold, bordering on pure arrogance.

Nothing to worry about. After taking in the situation, An Jing reached an objective conclusion. Forget the fact that he had already advanced to the Tide Aura Stage and condensed the third seal. He could still easily crush the three of them even if he had just stepped into the Aura Realm.

Still, for any ordinary person, this trio would be quite troublesome. An Jing's cover, Jing Xuan, was merely a young man from Dustdawn at the Silk Aura Stage. A single careless mistake could result in him being ambushed and instantly taken. He was going to turn their own game against them.

As An Jing continued forward, the three pursuers kept their positions around him. In truth, as a lone big spender from Dustdawn, he had long since been placed on their watchlist. They had only held back from testing him until now out of fear that a powerful tribe stood behind him.

But everything changed two days ago. A sudden directive arrived from the higher-ups, promising a hefty reward if they delivered the boy to them. They were somewhat puzzled by the repeated emphasis from their superiors. Prodigy or not, the target was a mere child still of the Silk Aura Stage. What was there to worry about?

At that moment, An Jing, who had been casually wandering the street, disappeared down an alley. The woman ahead of him blinked in surprise, while the two men behind exchanged a look and broke into a jog toward the alley.

As soon as the middle-aged man at the front reached the mouth of the alley, a fist suddenly filled his vision. Resembling sculpted jade and tempered iron, it smashed toward his chin with terrifying momentum. The heavy fist struck his jaw, and a violent buzzing exploded in the middle-aged man's head. Before he could feel the pain or vertigo, he blacked out. The impact fractured and dislocated his jawbone, leaving him with a severe concussion.

"Fuck! You bastard!" Still completely oblivious to the situation, the younger man only saw An Jing resist. He lunged forward on pure instinct, unleashing a sudden palm strike.

Dubbed the "Disorienting Palm," the simple but powerful move aimed the back of the hand directly at the jawbone and cheekbone, inflicting severe dizziness if it landed. The young man's technique was solid. Even a martialist would be completely dazed for some time. But mid-strike, the young man felt his arm hit a solid wall. Before he could react, his right wrist was trapped in a crushing grip, and his toes were violently stomped on.

Just like the ten fingers, the toes were all connected to the heart. The young man had barely mastered the basics of stance training. The brutal stomp to his feet broke his form, throwing him off balance, draining the strength completely from his hand. A split second later, his right arm was twisted behind him and he crashed violently to the ground. His head was pinned flat, his neck trapped in a tight, wrestling-style leg lock. An Jing's armbar held him firmly in place.

"My arm! My arm!" With just a little extra force, a pig-like shriek erupted from the man, startling the nearby street vendors. An Jing kept the slaver pinned in the joint lock, his face remaining expressionless.

The transformation I experienced from Evenstar Ivory Divine Seal is insane. I completely overpowered him with nothing but raw, physical strength, no aura whatsoever. I could crush him like an ant at any second. With that thought in mind, he calmly increased his grip, snapping the man's arm as easily as a cookie.

An Jing casually released his hold on the young man's limbs. As he stood up, the slaver lay beneath him, completely unconscious, with spit pooling beneath his mouth. He paid no mind to the bewildered and skeptical street vendors crowding the mouth of the alley. Instead, he sprang upward, bouncing off the walls until he reached the rooftop. Even without using Profoundstep, his current strength made vaulting over walls and scaling roofs a simple matter.

Looking down from the roof, An Jing spotted the female slaver who just realized that her accomplices were compromised and hastily retreated toward an adjacent street. She knew that the situation had gone awry. Whether her accomplices had failed or succeeded no longer mattered. They had drawn attention, so she needed to run right away. And most importantly, she couldn't let a single flaw slip. Her escape needed to look casual and calm, so she wouldn't arouse any suspicion.

Unbeknownst to her, An Jing had already confirmed who she was. Her slow, deliberate pace gave him the perfect chance to overtake her. The sudden whistling of the wind sent a chill down her spine. Ducking on instinct, she felt a large roof tile graze her scalp before it smashed violently onto the bluestone pavement with a loud crash.

Before she could register the searing pain on her scalp, a sharp gust of wind cut through the air. An Jing dropped straight from above, planting his foot on her left shoulder. With a sharp snap of bone, he launched himself off her to land gracefully on his feet. The trio had been taken down.